God's plans

** He is All-Present. . .
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. (Psalms 139:7-8 NIV)

** He is All powerful. . .
“I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. (Job 42:2 NIV)
“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me? (Jeremiah 32:27 NIV)
For nothing is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:37 NIV)

** He is All-Knowing. . .
O LORD, you have searched me and you know me. 2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4 Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD. (NIV) Psalm 139:1
. . . “Lord, you know everyone’s heart (NIV) Acts 1:24

** He is Stable and Unchanging. . .
. . .the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (NIV) Psalm 33:11

** He is Eternal. . .
“I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NIV)

** He is Incomprehensible. . .
Who has measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens? Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket, or weighed the mountains on the scales and the hills in a balance? 13 Who has understood the mind of the LORD, or instructed him as his counselor? 14 Whom did the LORD consult to enlighten him, and who taught him the right way? Who was it that taught him knowledge or showed him the path of understanding? (NIV) Isa 40:12
To whom, then, will you compare God? What image will you compare him to? (NIV) Isa 40:18

He is Merciful. . .
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions–it is by grace you have been saved. (Ephesians 2:4 NIV)

He is Compassionate. . .
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, (2 Corinthians 1:3 NIV)

He is Good. . .
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. (NIV) 1 Chronicles 16:34

But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations. (NIV) Psalm 33:11

Paul was blocked by God from moving further into the region of Phrygia and Galatia to preach the Word in the province of Asia. “So they passed by Mysia and went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” 10 After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Macedonia, concluding that God had called us to preach the gospel to them. From Troas we put out to sea and sailed straight for Samothrace, and the next day on to Neapolis. 12 From there we traveled to Philippi, a Roman colony and the leading city of that district of Macedonia. And we stayed there several days. (Acts 16:8-12)

God closed 1 door but opened up a new opportunity. Notice Paul’s immediate obedience to God’s call. He and his companions “got ready at once.” Can you imagine the anticipation and excitement as they realize that with the new vision that they are going to. . .

** New opportunities
** New territories
** New cultures
** New places of influence
** New people who had never heard the Gospel

Their obedience and excitement should be contagious for us today. God is still at work in our world. There are millions of people who do not have a relationship with Christ. Are you willing to take His Word into the “new territories” and “different cultures” where you live? How will you be used by God in new places of influence? When will you share the Gospel with new people who have never heard of God’s love for them?

This is what the LORD Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. (NIV) Haggai 1:5-7

God’s prophet, Haggai, was confronting the Israelites, God’s people, when he said: “Now this is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways. You have planted much, but have harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.’ This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Give careful thought to your ways.'” (Haggai 1:5-7). The people were claiming that it wasn’t the right time to rebuild God’s temple. They were putting their own comfort ahead of God’s plan (verse 4), their priorities were out of line.

Have we placed our own comfort ahead of God’s work? Are we living in prosperity while we neglect those who do God’s work? Do we accumulate material possessions, but never have enough? Are our closets full, but we have nothing to wear?

I don’t know about you, but God has challenged me to give more careful thought to my priorities, to how I spend my time, and how I choose to spend my money!

What’s the first thing you do each morning? Hop in the shower? Wake the kids up? Hit the snooze button to steal another 5 minutes of sleep? Turn on the TV? Get some high octane coffee brewing? And after that, what does your morning routine look like? Does it include spending some time with God? Checking in to get in sync with Him. . . to find out His plans for your day. . . to find some peace and refreshment amidst a chaotic world?

Here’s the challenge: Beginning tomorrow, have your cup of coffee with Jesus. . . get up just 5 minutes earlier and use those 5 minutes to connect with God. Try reading a Psalm a day or a few paragraphs in a Gospel, but make sure that each morning you’re spending at least 5 minutes with your focus on Him. I’m going to check back with you next month and see how it’s going! For I am convinced that those of you that are seeking God with all your heart will find Him! (Jeremiah 29:13)